Clare BOE adopts $13.7 million budget for 2014-15

By Pat MaurerCorrespondent

The coming year’s budget and administrative raises were adopted at the June 16 Clare Board of Education Meeting.

Board members voted unanimously to adopt a projected 2014-15 budget of expenses totaling $13,780,030, which will use an estimated $404,092 of the district’s fund balance leaving $565,586 in the fund at the end of the year.

Revenues for the coming year are projected at $13,375,939, down nearly $50,000 from the tentative final budget revenues for this year

The expense budget is up slightly from the 2013-14 final budget which totals $13,702,938 and uses $279,903 of the district’s fund balance. “The budget won’t be final until the end of the month,” said Business Manager Lynn Graham. “We won’t know that for sure until June 30, which is the actual end of the year.”

In 2012-13 the district used just over $400,000 of the fund balance to cover expenses. The fund balance will have decreased by $1 million from a total over $1.6 million at the beginning of the 2012 school year to just over a half million projected at the end of the coming year.

The board also approved budget changes to the 2013-14 year that is now coming to an end.

Following Superintendent Doniel Pummell’s recommendation, Primary Principal Mandy Bolin will receive a raise of $1,500 for the coming year and Middle School Principal Steve Newkirk will get another $1,000 added to his salary.

New High School Principal Ed Hubel, who takes over for retiring Principal Lee Turner July 1, will start at a higher salary than he had at his former position as Pioneer High School Principal. He will get $78,900 as a starting salary once he completes his Principal certification in mid-July.

Business Manager Lynn Graham, who Pummell credits as a “skilled business manager that is dedicated to Clare,” will receive a $1,000 annual raise, and Dwayne Strachan, who although his base salary was not increased, will receive an additional $1,000 because of additional duties as the Director of Student Achievement.

Total raises for the 2014-15 school year are $8,000, Pummell reported.

Along with the proposed administrative raises, Pummell also reported that beginning with administrative contract for the 2014-15 year, the contracted benefit of $10,000 in retirement after ten years of service when an administrator retires will no long be included in their contracts and those who have the language in the their contracts will receive at one-time payment of $2,500 during the 2014-15 school year, and the language will be removed from the contracts.

The board also approved a $41,950 bid from Current Surfaces Inc. of Hanover, to recondition the track surface at Brookwood Athletic Complex. New rubber and latex will be added after repair of worn areas and new lane lines and event markings painted.

School lunches will cost a little more beginning in September, after the board approved the food service contract from Chartwells. They recommended an increase of $.25 (twenty-five cents) across the board for lunches and an increase of $.10 (ten cents) for milk. Primary student lunches will cost $2; middle and high school students will pay $2.25; adults will pay $3 and milk will cost $.50 (fifty cents).

Other business at the BOE meeting included:

*Approval to borrow through the Municipal Bond Authority in anticipation of State Aid.

*Adoption of the annual resolution accepting the Constitution and By-laws of the Michigan High School Athletic Association as minimum standards.

*Approval of bills totaling $252,647.55.

*Superintendent Pummell reported that interviews were scheduled June 17 for the new Superintendent/Board Secretary.